Well, as you can see from the LONG LONG title above, I'm combining the two posting for last week as one. As you all might have know, UCSI have this unknown policies for students only that all the assignments are cramped through these few weeks and there are so many things that I need to do and of that I need to settle. Not only that, I have to review other people's work as well, since I'm mostly the team leader for all the assignments. I'm extremely exhausted. I really am. I really thought of giving up for the semester, but I can't. I have to continue and face the challenge ahead. Well, that's life. I have to suck it up.
So, thanks for looking past my first paragraph of my complaining of my life nowadays. Let's get back to the topic. Last week was Aji's presentation for the first day and on the second day, we have a guess lecturer, Dr. Por. I didn't manage to catch her background but she is an interesting researcher and lecturer. She gave me a lot of things to ponder...
So back to the first discussion. It was about Imperialism and Militarization. Although it is similar, but both of these things are totally different thing to one another. What does Imperialism mean? The definition below was taken from Wikipedia, for your information. Imperialism is a type of advocacy of empire. It is a policy of extending a country's power and influence through colonization, uses of military forces or other means. It has greatly shaped the world. So with this whole long definition, can we conclude that Imperialism was to concur a country and make it their own? And after concurring it, what do they want to do with the place? For personal use? For military uses? Or for other?
From what I think, it is, yes concurring of country using all methods. Taking Malaya as example. We were concurred firstly, Portugal, then Holland, then British, then Japan then back to British again and then finally, we got our independence. The whole thing started back in 16th century. When people wants things that they don't have in their place, they will start looking at other place. Like how all imperialism started. They wanted resources for themselves. So it is not good to just take it from them. So they might as well concur it as their own land. For Malaysian readers out there, try to remember back to your History. When Portugal came to Melaka (during that time it was called Melaka), they have the 3Gs as their motto, Gospel, to spread Christianity out, Gold, to earn more for their own nation, from concurring and from doing business and lastly, Glory, to be better than other Western forces out there. So those things are that influences them to concur and later named as Imperialism.
Next, imperialism does not only uses brute force to concur a nation. They also used agreements to fight for the rights on a particular nation. Well, it's a whole year of history when I learned it. I can't say it here. If you are interested to know more on this, Google is your best friend. Go ask him/her. I can't identify whether Google is a girl or a boy.
Alright. Let's leave imperialism a side first. Going further back into the time, we know that Chin Shi Huang （秦始皇） was the first emperor of China. Well, if I'm not wrong, he was the first to combine every space that he concurred from places. He unified all the states together and made it to what we have as China today. Before today, Japan, Korea and Taiwan was a part of the states. He later created the great wall of china to protect his land. If you want a more detailed example, just point your fingers to the world map where USA is located. It was the similar concept, except that they did not have an emperor to control the country.
So after decades and decades, we soon have feudalism in China where they have lords controlling on certain places. Those people are chosen in the imperial court by the emperor himself and so, we later have so many lords in one country. But, not to forget the emperor is still the head of the pyramid. Later, Chin Shi Huang died because he had taken too much mercury to extend his life. That story everyone knows about. So I don't feel like talking much on it anymore.
Back to Japan. In Malaysian history book, we first start heard of the term imperialism was during the time of Meiji Restoration. It was again a long long history and I didn't want to talk too much about it. In result, it made the Japanese want to fight for more and to climb up to the level of the Western Country. So I have a question here now. Does militarization starts during this time in Japan. We know that China never had Militarization last time and even now. So does militarization even existed in the Japan or India? Anyone please. If you have an idea, please tell me.
I know that in Malaysia, Militarization happened for one short while only. Back in the 1940s, after Japan retreated from Malaysia, our country was governed by the Communist Party for 14 days. Well, most of them are chinese anyway. They made a hell of a mess in Malaya, and later British have to come back. So that is the time when they started using Militarization as a way to control the country. As British was severely injured in their forces back then, this was the only way that they could control ALL the countries that they have concurred. So yeah. That is when Malaysia had militarization, only for a SHORT SHORT moment.
In India, we also know that there are the existence of dynasty. So let's not talk more on that. What we know on India is that their women have so little saying in everything that they did. So yeah. I don't know about now.
So with this I end the whole topic.
Continue dreaming and I will. Just kidding. This is getting way too serious to continue. So i decided to crack a joke out of this. Chill people chill.. Hahahahahaha. Speaking of chilling, I once was scolded by my group of friends who were quarrelling for asking them to chill and not quarrel anymore. It was a bad bad experience.
Alright. To Dr Por's presentation on Science and Technology Policies and Industrialization Process in East and South Asia. We must surely thank Dr Por for giving us such an interesting lecture on this. So when she started, she asked one question. Why do people study Science, Technology and Industrialization.
What I can think of is that they want to improve on what they already knew and what they already had. Like how we have all the inventions nowadays. It was through STI that we have all these today. According to her, it was also used as a measurement on level of civilization. Mostly i think that this statement is true. How do we gauge a civilization whether it is civilize or not? Is it by the language that they use? Is it by their culture? Is it by their clothings? NO! A best way to measure it is by using how advanced their technology and science is. But we can't say that is all correct. We have to also think of the attitude of the people and the way they speak. It also will gauge a civilization whether the people in it are civilized or not.
If we want to gauge on the science and technology, back in the days, China could be counted as the most civilized country. They created things that people didn't even know back then. Like gun powder, paper and two more I forgot is what. But that are the things that they did and they created. Undoubtedly and undeniably.
So there are a whole lot of question. Like: Who and why produces STI and for WHOM? Who and why? I think that is the inventors that was the 'who' and why was to improve on the civilization itself. For whom is for the people living in the civilization. Not much to discuss.
So the last thing on this post is: What does the similarities and differences tell us about the Eastern world and the Eastern Civilization?
This is a very interesting topic. Like these group of people. After weeks and weeks of thinking this question What is Civilization, I can say that it's an improvement from one time to the other time at a specific location. So the difference between Eastern world and Eastern Civilization. How does it differ? I think it depend on the culture itself. For example, although Australia was in very near to the eastern countries, does it belong to the eastern civilization? I think that australia is a western country. They have so many things that are so much similar to the western culture that it could not be said to be as a part of Eastern Civilization.
Alright. I finally ended this long winded post. Please not feel offended for what I've wrote. Feel free to comment on things. Please do comment. I really need to know all the answers to the question in my mind. Thanks thanks thanks again and again. So I guess I should stop for now. Thanks for reading through such long post. Good Bye for now.
Cheerios,
YiXin :)
Week 8 23/2 Presentation by Hong Jie: philosophy of science through history of science in Asian Civilizations
Well well well. I know that I'm late in doing this post. It was seemingly quite interesting. I've gotten so used to blog writing that I did like really not that well for my thesis writing. Oh well, I guess I have to start to be back at thesis writing. >.<
I was supposed to do this last week but I did not manage. I have a reason for it. I didn't attend to the session because I was on holiday break and didn't want to touch any of my homework. Yes I know that some of you might think that I am irresponsible but well, I need some time off.
So here are some question that Eason had posted for us to think about. I can do this because I have read about the readings that Dr Clarissa had given to us. It may not be correct but most of the things here is from my brain. I think things through before I posted it up. So yeah. Again, everything is my comments and my knowledge in this field. Feel free to correct me if I am mistaken.
1. Chinese are more concerned about efficacy in practice than explanation. In west, explanation has long been considered central, even critical to science. Which one is more reliable? Why?
In chinese culture, it is always believed that the more you practice and do, the more that you will know how to handle. Like baking and cooking. For the first time, I was taught how. Then for the second and third time, I might make mistake. Towards the forth and more time cooking a dish, I will be better in cooking that dish. I will know how much oil to put, how much water that are needed, how much salt that I can put and do I put sugar or what. But when we are speaking of reliability, I have to say that it is the Western way. Things that happen needed to have proof to know that these things are true or not.
For example, we can't try hundreds of time with the same mistake to build a plane. We must have explanation on something. When we make mistake, we must know where the mistake is and how can I emend to the mistake to make things better. That is why we have science nowadays and people believe more in science and not the myths that the older people believes back then.
2. In your point of view, how does acupuncture been discovered?
As we know, acupuncture had been in the history for a long long time. It is been say as a Chinese way of treating a patient. I don't know whether the western people uses this or not. Using acupuncture is putting needles in a person's vital point and it will heal some sickness. Normally in the days when there are still emperors in china, they uses acupuncture to raise someone from coma and they help people that was poisoned when the medication does not work.
Acupuncture was, like I've always said, passed down from tradition and every tradition does not just pop out like that. In human bodies, there are a lot of vital points like for each vital point carries different meaning of things. For example, when we have a terrible headache, we will rub the two end of our forehead. The two points we in Chinese called it as 太阳穴 which translate to Sun Pressure Point. It is called Temples actually. Hahahahahahahaha. So, back to the topic. These vital points have different usage. If we have a back ache, the doctor will use the needle to maybe poke you in the back to cure you.
So when we discovered that we have these points, people will find a way to use it. Human are curious and we will always ask what is this for and what is that for. So maybe it is because of that, they found out that using a needle to poke on a person's vital point can cure some sickness.
3. What do you think of supernatural?
I was supposed to do this last week but I did not manage. I have a reason for it. I didn't attend to the session because I was on holiday break and didn't want to touch any of my homework. Yes I know that some of you might think that I am irresponsible but well, I need some time off.
So here are some question that Eason had posted for us to think about. I can do this because I have read about the readings that Dr Clarissa had given to us. It may not be correct but most of the things here is from my brain. I think things through before I posted it up. So yeah. Again, everything is my comments and my knowledge in this field. Feel free to correct me if I am mistaken.
1. Chinese are more concerned about efficacy in practice than explanation. In west, explanation has long been considered central, even critical to science. Which one is more reliable? Why?
In chinese culture, it is always believed that the more you practice and do, the more that you will know how to handle. Like baking and cooking. For the first time, I was taught how. Then for the second and third time, I might make mistake. Towards the forth and more time cooking a dish, I will be better in cooking that dish. I will know how much oil to put, how much water that are needed, how much salt that I can put and do I put sugar or what. But when we are speaking of reliability, I have to say that it is the Western way. Things that happen needed to have proof to know that these things are true or not.
For example, we can't try hundreds of time with the same mistake to build a plane. We must have explanation on something. When we make mistake, we must know where the mistake is and how can I emend to the mistake to make things better. That is why we have science nowadays and people believe more in science and not the myths that the older people believes back then.
2. In your point of view, how does acupuncture been discovered?
As we know, acupuncture had been in the history for a long long time. It is been say as a Chinese way of treating a patient. I don't know whether the western people uses this or not. Using acupuncture is putting needles in a person's vital point and it will heal some sickness. Normally in the days when there are still emperors in china, they uses acupuncture to raise someone from coma and they help people that was poisoned when the medication does not work.
Acupuncture was, like I've always said, passed down from tradition and every tradition does not just pop out like that. In human bodies, there are a lot of vital points like for each vital point carries different meaning of things. For example, when we have a terrible headache, we will rub the two end of our forehead. The two points we in Chinese called it as 太阳穴 which translate to Sun Pressure Point. It is called Temples actually. Hahahahahahahaha. So, back to the topic. These vital points have different usage. If we have a back ache, the doctor will use the needle to maybe poke you in the back to cure you.
So when we discovered that we have these points, people will find a way to use it. Human are curious and we will always ask what is this for and what is that for. So maybe it is because of that, they found out that using a needle to poke on a person's vital point can cure some sickness.
3. What do you think of supernatural?
What Do I think of supernatural? The drama series in US that had millions of hits every single week. Nah... I'm just kidding. Supernatural are those spirits, ghosts and things like that. Not to forget about the gods and all. Everyone of us are being brought up by supernatural stories. I've heard one story here from my grandaunt. When the thunder strikes a tree, it means that the tree has something dark and shadow in it. It is not normal for a thunder to strike a tree.
That is a myth isn't it? They were taught like that and we listened and learned it. Ok. So here's the thing. In science, we know that a tree is obviously made out of wood. It is the purest form of wood. So it is not a conductor of electricity. But why does thunder want to strike down that particular tree? It could not be by chances. So when I think that there is no explanation, I believe to the myth that was told and taught. If anyone know that why the electricity hits a tree, please tell me. I do want to know. The reason why I'm in social science is because my pure science was terrible.
4. What do you guys think about "good act" and "bad act"
It is something psychological. It dwells in a person's mind and it is something that we learn and taught in school or at home. When we were little, we often will do something that will get punished or rewarded. Like if we eat a candy on the table without permission, we will be scolded for stealing the candy. Then we know that when we take something without permission, it is stealing and it is a bad act.
It also have to combine with a person's moral acts. When things happened, will you justify that this is a good act or a bad act? So It is very subjective on what people thinks.
There were 6 questions that were asked but I think I will manage 4 of these question. So anything to add or to decipher my questions please feel free to comment.
Cheerios,
YiXIn
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